‘Twin Sisters with Cameras’: Exhibition gives a peek in to the photographic lives of Debalina Mazumder, Manobina Roy

A new exhibition showcases the lives of twin sisters Debalina Mazumder (1919-2012) and Manobina Roy (1919-2001), while also detailing their practices.; Debalina Sen Roy and Manobina Roy, by Bimal Roy, c.1940 (Source: PR Handout)

Titled 'Twin Sisters with Cameras', the show is on view until August 27, 2022 at Art Gallery, Kamaladevi Complex, India International Centre, New Delhi from 11 am to 7 pm; Photographs of daughter Aparajita standing above the Bombay-Poona Highway, Mid 1960s by Manobina Roy (Source: PR Handout)

Delving into the photographic lives of the twin sisters, whose works spanned nearly six decades, the exhibition brings to light their range of subjects and genres, joint experiments with light and shadow in 1930s Ramnagar (Benaras) and more; This India? "Dream" of a boy, sitting in a country boat, looking at a ship and dreaming of sailing in a ship, 1940s by Manobina Roy (Source: PR Handout)

Their works include striking portraits of family and friends in and around their homes in Calcutta and Bombay and distinctive glimpses of 1960s Europe; Portrait of daughter Aparajita, Bombay, Early 1960s by Manobina Roy (Source: PR Handout)

The photographs displayed have been curated by Sabeena Gadihoke, Mallika Leuzinger and Tapati Guha-Thakurta in collaboration with CREA and Jadunath Bhavan, a unit of the CSSSC and supported by PhotoSouthAsia, an initiative of the MurthyNAYAK Foundation; Portrait of son Joy at the Godiwala Bungalow, Bombay, Early 1960s by Manobina Roy (Source: PR Handout)

The curators note that even after colour photography arrived, the twin sisters preferred the tonalities of grey in black and white photography. "When they eventually acquired SLR cameras with automated functions, they continued using manual controls to compose their images. Their best works bear testimony to their technical expertise, artistic vision and aesthetic sensibility."; Portrait of grandson Rajsaday Dutta, Calcutta, c.1976 by Debalina Mazumder (Source: PR Handout)

According to the press statement, the curators have drawn on writings, scholarly research, memoirs, and audio-interviews recorded more than two decades ago. The annotations are derived from the voices of the two photographers as well as members of their family; Sisters Manobina and Debalina with their daughters, (L-R) Rinki, Yashodhara, Sunayani and Priyadarshini, at J. J. Mehta and Sons studio in Malad, Bombay, c.1950 (Source: PR Handout)